Method for paying a user fee proposed by a service provider

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a method for paying a user fee proposed by a service provider by means of the terminal of a service user. The inventive method consists in calculating a payable amount with the aid of a billing device and in paying the payable amount by the bank account of the service user, thereby allowing said user to use a service. When requesting a service, the user can appoint the execution time for the service, the paying of the payable amount being carried out according to the execution time.

The invention relates to a method for paying a user fee proposed by aservice provider in accordance with the preamble of Claim 1.

It is generally known that in communication networks fees forcommunication services are debited from credit accounts maintained inthese communication networks (known as prepaid accounts). In such casesthese credit accounts are assigned to one or more communicationterminals (e.g. fixed network telephones, mobiles, PDAs (PersonalDigital Assistants), notebooks, computers) registered in thecommunication network. Some of these credit accounts are also assignedto subscribers, for example a number of members of a family who use oneterminal. Such a communication terminal may continue to establish andexecute communication connections for as long as the credit accountassigned to it remains in credit. If the credit for paying the fee isused up, no more communication connections can be established orexisting communication connections are interrupted.

Furthermore there are methods known whereby the credit account ismaintained in the communication network in which the communicationconnections are also established and thereby the services are provided.The operator of this type of communication network has access to thecredit accounts maintained in his communication network and canaccordingly deduct credit amounts from the credit account for theservices provided in the communication network.

In modern communication networks mechanisms are now known by which evenservice providers who are independent of the communication network canprovide services for the terminals connected to the communicationnetwork; The communication network is in such cases “opened up” as itwere to the independent providers. Independent service providers hereshould be taken to mean those providers who are not the operator of thecommunication network.

These types of mechanism are known under the name of OSA (Open ServiceArchitecture) or Parlay. Such independent service providers are alsoreferred to as “Third Party Service Providers”.

For example, in so-called electronic commerce (e-commerce) there is theneed to execute payment transactions using communication networks. Suchpayment transactions can arise when goods or services subject to a feeare provided over the communication networks for example (e.g. supply ofinformation, data or goods). The Internet or telecommunication networks(mobile radio network, fixed-line networks) are typically used as thesetypes of communication networks. To pay for the goods or servicesmethods are for example needed for cashless payment using a mobileterminal (e.g. a mobile phone, a laptop, Personal Digital Assistant PDAor palmtop) and/or an Internet terminal (e.g. Internet computer). Thedisadvantage of these e-/m-commerce systems is that at the time thatservices are requested by a user the account must have sufficient creditto cover the fee. The underlying object of the invention is to specify amethod for paying a user fee proposed by a service provider whichguarantees increased flexibility in the handling of billing.

This object is achieved, using as its starting point the method forpaying a user fee proposed by a service provider in accord of thepreamble of Claim 1, by the characterizing features of said claim.

With the method in accordance with the invention for paying a user feeproposed by a service provider by a user's terminal, in which, for theuse of a service by a fee is determined by a billing device and thededuction of the fee from a service user's credit account is initiated,a time for the execution of the service can be defined at the time thatthe service is requested, with the point at which the fee is deductedbeing dependent on the execution time.

The method in accordance with the invention gives greater flexibilityfor execution of payment transactions within the framework of the usageof services. One of the ways in which this flexibility is expressed isthat the service user can exert influence on the point at which the feeis deducted and/or level of the fee by explicitly selecting theexecution time, and another is that he generally has the freedom to haveservices executed at a point other than the point at which they wererequested.

In a possible further development a level of fee arising at the point ofexecution is determined at the time of the request and, after theexecution time is determined, the deduction of the fee is initiated atthe time of the request. This method of operation is especiallyadvantageous if the price for providing the service diverges over time,so that although the service user's account is debited at the time ofthe request, he can still reduce the costs arising by skillful selectionof the execution time. This is helpful for example if the credit accountdoes not cover the costs for using the service at the time of therequest.

Alternatively, after the execution time is defined, the deduction of thefee is initiated at the point of execution. The advantage of this isthat if the service user has insufficient credit at the time of therequest for example, despite the funds being unavailable to cover it,the service can still be requested, since the amount is not deducteduntil later and the service user is given the opportunity to stock upthe account with credit accordingly by the execution time. This variantthus allows the service user an increased level of control over hisfees, even if the prices for the service do not diverge over time, orallows the service to be used despite there being insufficient credit inthe account to cover it at the time of the request.

If the price of a service diverges as a function of the time at which itis executed, optimum flexibility in timing and costs is obtained if alevel of the fee arising at the point of service execution is alsodetermined at the time of request. This means that both the credit canbe preserved at the time of the request and a reduction in the costsarising can be achieved.

Preferably, at the time of the request, before the execution time isdetermined by the terminal, at least a first service request message issent to the billing device, with the service request message, inaddition to parameters identifying the service, also containing itsexecution time, so the determination of the level of fees can beinitiated by the billing device on the basis of the execution timeand/or the parameters, with the level of fees determined subsequentlybeing transmitted to the terminal and displayed to the service usertogether with a request to enter a confirmation, so that, onconfirmation on the part of the service user the execution time isdetermined and this is transmitted to the billing device and the billingdevice, at the point at which the service is executed, then attempts todeduct the fee from the service user's credit, with, if the attempt issuccessful, the provision of the service by the service provider beingreleased by the billing device, by the transfer of a correspondingmessage to the service provider for example. This further developmentguarantees a simple-to-implement execution sequence, with the executionof transactions related to the payment of fees by the billing devicehaving the advantage that the method in accordance with the inventioncan essentially be employed in existing e-/m-commerce (payment) systemswithout any great modification, since in such systems in general billingfor services by a billing device is implemented as a standardizedinterface, for example an interface in accordance with “PayCircle” orthe “Open Service Access (OSA)” standard.

Advantageously in this case the execution time can be rejected byentering an alternative execution time and/or entering the alternativeexecution time, with steps a) to c) repeated with the alternativeexecution time. A negotiation of the desired time is implemented withthis methodology.

Preferably the amount of the fee is determined in this case by a devicefor determining billing, taking into account at least one tariff model,after initiation on the part of the billing device by the transfer of asuitable message, with at least the parameters of the desired service aswell as execution time. It is advantageous for determination of paymentamounts by a billing device for existing payment rating facilities, forexample the “Least Cost Routing” system, to be able to be included tosupport the inventive method. On the one hand this reduces the effortinvolved in implementation since it involves accessing existing systemswhich essentially only have to be slightly adapted and on the other handredundancy in the provision of functions is avoided or availableresources are used more effectively. In addition existing billingdevices can essentially be used, which enhances the advantages alreadymentioned.

If at least one tariff table is administered by the payment ratingdevice to take account of the tariff model, the tariff rating can besimply implemented by using a table. In addition administration ensuresthat current tariff models are always available.

Further advantages and details of the invention are explained withreference to the single FIGURE. The drawing shows

FIGURE a schematic diagram of the execution sequence according to anexemplary embodiment of the method in accordance with the invention.

The FIGURE shows the execution sequence of the method in accordance withthe invention using an application scenario as an exemplary embodiment.This scenario assumes that a service user USER possesses amultimedia-enabled terminal PC, for example a Personal Computer, as wellas having a credit account available on a PREPAID SERVER.

As an alternative to or supplementary to the exemplary embodiment, theservice user can also have a BILLING CENTER system which implementsbilling at the end of a billing cycle by producing a bill—i.e. bysending a bill BILLING, so that the actual payment occurs after theservice i.e. “post-paid”.

The inventive method is employed in accordance with the scenario whenthe USER wishes to make use of a service provided by a SERVICE PROVIDER,in this example a video stream that can be played back on his terminal.

To do this the USER, in a first step S1, establishes a connection viahis terminal PC to the SERVICE PROVIDER, with the term SERVICE PROVIDERbeing used below as a simple way of referring to any arrangement whichimplements the service. Using the connection, which is generallybidirectional as a result of the exchange of data in both directions,the USER requests the SERVICE PROVIDER to transmit this video stream tohim, with the execution time being at night, i.e. not at the time thatthe request is made.

As part of this request, the data identifying the service, for examplethe video title, and the resulting parameters, for example the durationof the video stream, are transmitted to the SERVICE PROVIDER.

Using this data and also the execution time, the SERVICE PROVIDER, in asecond step S2, initiates a payment transaction, which, as is normal ine-/m-commerce systems, is to be executed by a standardized interface forpayment handling (payment interface or payment server) PAYMENT SERVER.

Since at this point the data still does not contain any priceindication, an inquiry to determine the payment is initiated in a thirdstep S3 by the PAYMENT SERVER. To this end, in accordance with theexemplary embodiment, a separate RATING SERVER. is provided in which thecurrent tariff model of the SERVICE PROVIDER is stored, in the form of atable for example. At the request of the PAYMENT SERVER the price isdetermined on the basis of the data associated with the service requestas well as customer-specific data such as any usage discount arising ora loyalty bonus, in which case, in accordance with the scenario of theexemplary embodiment, the SERVICE PROVIDER offers the download of videostreams at a more favorable rate at night so that a correspondingly morefavorable fee is determined by the RATING SERVER.

The level of the fee determined is subsequently transmitted in a fourthstep S4 to the PAYMENT SERVER and transmitted from this server in afifth step S5 directly to the terminal PC of the USER and displayed tothe USER there.

If the USER agrees with the amount billed he authorizes the transaction.I.e. he conforms his service request made in the first step S1, so thatin a sixth step S6, the data associated with the transaction is storedin a database of the PAYMENT SERVER and also in a seventh step S7 aconfirmation is transmitted by the PAYMENT SERVER to the SERVICEPROVIDER indicating to the SERVICE PROVIDER that the payment transactionthat it has initiated has been authorized by the USER and the data hasbeen stored in the PAYMENT SERVER, so that the SERVICE PROVIDER for itspart can make arrangements for the service to be provided at the desiredpoint in time.

When the execution time is reached, in an eighth step S8, the PAYMENTSERVER attempts to deduct the fee previously determined. This can bedone by debiting the PREPAID SERVER credit account or alternatively oradditionally by billing (post-paid) via a BILLING CENTER.

If the deduction process is successful, in a ninth step S9 the SERVICEPROVIDER receives a message, with which the release of the provision ofthe service is indicated, so that in a tenth step S10 the video downloadcan be undertaken by the terminal PC of the USER.

If the deduction process in the eighth step S8 via the billing system iscompleted, the billing process is completed in an eleventh step S11 bysending BILLING at the end of the billing cycle, for example at the endof the month.

As an alternative to the process described it is also conceivable thatthe USER does not agree to the fee proposed.

In this case the USER could specify another execution time. It is alsoconceivable for the USER, in the first step S1 when requesting theservice, to have a number of alternative times with the correspondingfees or the tariff model of the SERVICE-PROVIDER displayed on histerminal.

The invention is not to be restricted solely to the example shown but isto include variations, for example in the sequence of the proceduralsteps discussed. Variations of the arrangement scenario should also beincluded. Thus it is conceivable for example for the PAYMENT SERVER toinclude the RATING SERVER, i.e. for the PAYMENT SERVER to implement thefunctionality of the steps of the RATING SERVER. It is also conceivablefor the PAYMENT SERVER and/or the RATING SERVER to be part of theSERVICE PROVIDER.

An infrastructure necessary for the units to communicate is typicallyprovided, as is usual with e-/m-commerce systems, by a mobile radionetwork or other communication networks, with at least part of thearrangement described, for example the BILLING CENTER or the PREPAIDSERVER maintaining the credit accounts, being assigned to the networkprovider.

1. Method for paying a user fee proposed by a SERVICE PROVIDER via aterminal (PC) of a USER, in which, for the use of a service, a fee isdetermined by a PAYMENT SERVER and the deduction of the payment from acredit account (PREPAID SERVER, BILLING CENTER) of the USER isinitiated, characterized in that, a) at the time at which the service isrequested a time for execution of the service (S1) can be defined by theservice user, b) the fee is deducted depending on the execution time (S2. . . S11).
 2. Method in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that,at the time of the request, a fee amount arising at the time ofexecution is determined (S2 . . . S4) and after determination of theexecution time (S1) the deduction of the fee is initiated at the requesttime.
 3. Method in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that, afterthe execution time is determined (S1, S6, S7) the deduction of the feeat the execution time (S8, S9) is initiated.
 4. Method in accordancewith claim 3, characterized in that, at the time of the request, thelevel of fee arising at the execution time is determined (S2 . . . S4).5. Method in accordance with claim 3, characterized in that a) at thetime of the request, before the execution time is determined, at least afirst data request is sent from the terminal (PC) to the PAYMENT SERVER(S2), with the service request message containing the execution time aswell as parameters identifying the service, b) the PAYMENT SERVERinitiates a rating of the level of fee based on the execution timeand/or the parameters (S3, S4), c) the level of fee determined istransmitted to the terminal transmitting and displayed to the serviceuser with a request to enter a confirmation (S5), d) with a confirmationon the part of the user of the execution time is defined (S6) and thisis transmitted to the payment server (S7), e) the PAYMENT SERVERattempts at the execution time to deduct the fee from the user's credit(S8), f) if the attempt is successful the provision of the service isreleased by the service provider (S9).
 6. Method in accordance withclaim 5, characterized in that d2) the execution time is rejected by anentry of an alternative execution time and/or entry of the alternativeexecution time, e2) steps a) to c) are repeated with the alternativeexecution time.
 7. Method according to claim 5, characterized in thatthe PAYMENT SERVER rates the level of the fee by using a RATING SERVERtaking into account at least one tariff model (S3, S4).
 8. Method inaccordance with claim 7, characterized in that, to enable account to betaken of the tariff model, at least one tariff table is administered bythe RATING SERVER.